Toys Next Door by Sh. Soosi

Title: Toys Next Door
Author: Sh. Soosi
Genre: Children’s Book
Illustrator: Qa’ed Mai
Released: 2019
Format: Board book
Pages: 20
Source: I received a hard copy from the author in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.
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An easy-to-understand children’s board book inspired by the story of the two gardens in the Qur’an. The perfect gift for kids ages 0 to 7.

Nooh said to the boy,
“Allah gave you more,
but you are not better,
I’m happy with four.”

“Allah gives what He wants
and He takes away, too.
He can give toys to me.
He can take toys from you.”

– Toys Next Door, Sh. Soosi 

When I heard about the book Toys Next Door by Sh. Soosi, I had thought it was a relaying of the story of the two gardens in Surah Al-Kahf. Upon seeing the book, I realized the story was built based on the story from the Qur’an. And upon reading it, I saw the beauty of the plot and the rhyming story.

Toys Next Door is inspired by the story of the man with the two gardens found in aayaat 32-43 of the 18th chapter in the Qur’an. The first time I read the book, I was slightly put-off by the arrogant words used by the boy, but when I referred to the aayaat, it made sense to me; and in fact, one of the notes I had written when reflecting upon the said aayaat were the stark contraction between the arrogance portrayed by the man, and the humility expressed by the one who had less property – exactly what the book is based on.

One of the aspects I loved about Toys Next Door was how the name of the boy is not revealed, whereas we know the name of the boy who was humble. This turned into a beautiful discussion point for us with my children – of how Allah loves to cover up the identity of the one who sins. I truly appreciate this concept neatly incorporated into the story.

Although I’m not a fan of the illustration style, I can’t imagine a different style for this book now that we read and re-read the book. The illustrator has done a wonderful job in bringing out the emotions of the characters through the subtle nuances of the facial expressions and body language.

The size of the board-book is smaller than I’d expected – it sits neatly in my palm. The book quality is exceptional, and I love the glossy sheen in it.

By far, Toys Next Door is one of our favourite books based on the stories from the Qur’an.

May Allah bless the author, the illustrator, and everyone involved in the production of the book.